Hollow rim for banjos



March 5, 1929. w. L. LANGE 1,704,391

HOLLOW RIM FOR BANJOS Filed May 4, 1926 22 A INVENTOR MIZzamL. 12 any:

.J/J BFWTORNYEY Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM L. LANGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HOLLOW RIM FOR BANJ OS.

Application filed May 4, 1926.

My present invention relates to a banjo, and more especially to the rim construction thereof, and while other conventional features are shown therewith, these are only by way of illustrating the adaptability of my new construction to a standard type of banjo.

One of the main objects of my invention relates to a rim of such open or fretted peripheral construction as to permit of easy and rapid side-escape of musical sounds during playing thereof.

Another advantage of this construction relates to an improvement in the appearance of the banjo, inasmuch as the fretted peripheral walls may be made of any suitable metal, the side sound openings of which may be made ornamental, the metal work plated by goldor similar plating, which enhances the sales value, as well as improves the tone.

Another advantage accrues from the fact that the rim may be, and preferably is, a composite of wood and metal, thereby forming an'enclosed dual-walled, chambered, resonant frame upon and to which all the appurtenant parts are readily mounted and assembled.

These and other features will be ascertained as the herein description proceeds and it is obvious that modifications may be made in the'herein noted description without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of my device,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow, the inner wall element being broken away to show spacers or struts in the space between the outer and inner wall elements, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a modification on a similar portion of the banjo as described for Fig. 2.

As may be noted in Fig. 2, my rim com.- prises two annular preferably metallic rimforming wall elements, an outer one 1 and an inner one 2, both of these elements being mounted for support in rabbets 3, 3 formed in wooden fillers, constituting the top piece 4, and the bottom piece 5.

The fillers 4 and 5 are spaced by their proportions, so as to form an interior resonance chamber 6 between parts 1, 2, 4:, and 5 and sound openings generally denoted by 7, are mt m blanked out of the wall elements Serial No. 106,670.

land 2, so as to permit sound to emit through the passages 7 from the interior 8 of the banjo to the exterior thereof.

The upper filler 4 is provided with an inset metallic contact ring 9, upon which the vellum 10 is stretched, the vellum being attached to the tension ring 11, tension hooks 12, ten sion lugs 13, and the usual tensioning nuts 14. The lugs 13 are afliXed to the outer wall element by any satisfactory means, such as rivets 15 or an equivalent. The parts 10 to 15 inclusive are of standard construction.

In practice, the wall elements 1 and 2, Fig. 2, when made of metal are made in flat strips of desired width and length, and have any desired ornamental design punched therein to form the fretted sound openings therein after which they are bent or assembled as shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the strips being preferably brought together at a point where the dowel, (not shown,) is usually entered, thereby satisfactorily covering the break occasioned thereby.

A modified form of construction is shown in Fig. 3, in which the annulus is formed of one piece 16, having an upper inclined vellum supporting edge 17, integrally formed therein, and two spaced downstanding wall forming elements 18 and 19, which are ornamentally or otherwise pierced to form sound holes 7 therein for the same purpose as de scribed. for Fig. 2. A bottom Wooden filler 20 is rabbeted, as at 21, to receive and support the annulus 16, and may be affixed thereto by any suitable means, not shown.

In some instances, it may be desirable to provide a series of spacers or struts, such as 22, Figs. 1 and 2, in the chamber 6 between the spaced fillers 4 and 5, supplementing the thin wall elements 1 and 2, and these spaced struts may be inserted or made integral with the fillers 4 and 5.,These serve to stiffen the wall elements 1 and 2 and the general structure and to divide the resonance chamber 6 into any desired number'of sectors.

In actual practice the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is the most practical as it is more easily manufactured in quantities, and is of greater economy in such manufacture.

The construction herein set forth, while shown as part wood and part metal, may be also made in an all wood construction, or in an all metal construction, so long as the rim structure in its entirety and as herein shownis madewith ahollow, forajninous,

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dual walled resonance chamber, open from the exterior thereof to the interior thereof, or vice versa.

I have found that the construction herein greatly improves the tone, cue to the ready escape of sound from the under side of the vellum to atmosphere, as previously described, and the relief of the vibrating vellum by free atmospheric balance on both sides thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what. I claim is: I

1.In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a thick relatively deep annular bottom piece; an annular top piece the same thickness as the bottom piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall members having intra narginal sound openings and secured at their upper and lower margins to the inner and outer faces respectively of the top and bottom pieces respectively to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; the face of contact of said members with said pieces being relatively wide from top to bottom to provide firm anchorage and support for the wall members to prevent their movement relative to the annular pieces; and a vellum tensioned over said top piece.

2.'In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a relatively thick wooden annular piece of approximately rectangular elongated cross-section provided on the inner and outer side faces with rabbets extending from the upper edge to near'the lower edge, the top to bottom width of the rabbet being greater than the thickness "of the bottom piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall members having intramarginal'sound openings and secured at their lower margins in, and 'extirely filling said inner and outer rabbets respectively to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; a top means closing the upper part of the chamber; said rabbets being relatively Wide from top to bottom to providefirm anchorage and support'for the-wall members to prevent their movement relative to the annular piece; a vellum tensioned over said top means.

3. In a stringed musical instrument, the eombinationof a relatively thick wooden annular bottom piece of approximatelyrectangular elongated cross-section provided on the inner and outer side faces with rabbets extending from the upper edge to near the lower edge, the top to bottom width of therabbet being greater than the thickness of the bottom piece; an annular top piece the same thickness as the bottom piece and provided with an annular groove around its upper outer edge and inner and outer rabbets extending on the outer and inner side faces from the bottom to near the top of the top piece; outer and inner relatively thin. an-

nular coaxial Wall members having intramarginal sound openings and secured at their upper and lower margins in and entirely filling, said inner and outer rabbets respectively of the top and bottom pieces respectively to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; all of said rabbetsbeing relatively wide from top to bottom to pro vide firm anchorage and support for the wall members to prevent their movement relative to the annular pieces; and a vellum tensioned over the top piece.v

at. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a thick relatively deep annular bottom piece; an annular top piece the same thickness as the bottom piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall inembershaving intra-marginal sound openings and secured. at their upper and lower margins tothe inner and outer faces respectively of the top and bottom pieces respectively to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; a vellum tensioned over said top piece; and a series of struts disposed different distances around the interior-of said chamber in contact with said both annular pieces and both wall members. I

'5. In a stringed musical instrument the combination of a thick relatively deep'annular l'JOlZlZOlTtPlBCG; an annular top piece the same thickness as the bottom piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall members having intramarginal sound openings and secured at their upper and lower margins to the inner and outer faces respectively of the top and bottom pieces respectively to'forma resonance chamber between the wall members; a vellum tension'ed over said top piece; and a series of struts disposed different distances around the interior of said chamber in contact with said both annular pieces and both wall members to stiffen the instrument and both wall members and to divide the chamber into separate sectors of differentlength to amplify different lengths of sound waves. p

6. In a stringed musical instrument the combination of a thick relatively deep annular bottom piece; an anuular top piecethe same thickness as the bottom piece and provided with an annular groove around its up per outer edge and inner and outer rabbets extending on theoutei." and inner side faces from the bottom to near the top of the top piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall members having intraemarginal sound openings and secured at their lower margins to the inncr'andouter faces respectively of the bottom piece secured at their upper marginsimand entirely filling said inner and outer rabbets respectively to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; said rabbets'being relatively wide from top to bottom to provide firm anchor age between. the top piece and wall members to prevent their movement relative to the annular pieces; a contact ring in said annular groove; a vellum tensioned over said contact ring and pressing the upper margin of the outer wall member in the rabbet; and tension means engaging the tension ring and having their lower parts anchored on the lower part of the outer wall member.

7. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a thick relatively deep annular bottom piece; outer and inner relatively thin annular coaxial wall members having intra-marginal sound openings and secured at their lower margins to the inner and outer faces respectively of the bottom piece to form a resonance chamber between the wall members; a top means closing the upper part of the chamber; the face of contact of said members with said piece being relatively wide from top to bottom to provide firm anchorage and support for the wall members to prevent their movement relative to the bottom piece; a vellum tensioned over said top means; and a series of struts disposed around the interior of said chamber and having wide rectangular opposite faces in contact throughout with said wall mem bers respectively, and wide rectangular bases in contact throughout with said bottom piece and top means respectively.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 3rd day of May A. D. 1926.

\VILLIAM L. LANGE. 

